Off Topic » Kevin Garnett each time he came back to

MINNEAPOLIS - In six seasons in Minnesota, Kevin Love witnessed how warmly the fans greeted former Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett each time he came back to town.On the eve of Loves first game back at Target Center since he was traded to Cleveland last summer, the second-best player in franchise history isnt expecting the same kind of reception.Truthfully? Boooo, Love said Friday when asked by Cleveland reporters about what kind of environment he expected on Saturday night in Minnesota. Probably more of that than a mix of cheers.Minnesota owner Glen Taylor said he, for one, will welcome Love back with open arms.Id be pleased to give him a hug and wish him the best and hope it goes well and hope he stays healthy, Taylor told The Associated Press. He worked hard and he did well for us and Im appreciative of that.Love came to Minnesota in a draft-night trade in 2008, and eventually supplanted Garnett as the face of the franchise. With a strong work ethic, he turned himself into a three-time All-Star and an Olympic gold medallist . He interacted with fans who had jumped off the bandwagon when Garnett was traded. He also started a successful winter coat drive that provided warm outerwear for thousands of disadvantaged in the Twin Cities.But unlike Garnett, who took the Timberwolves to the playoffs eight times and was named MVP in 2004 while leading them to the Western Conference finals, Love never made it to the post-season.Management failed time and again to surround Love with enough talent to compete in the powerful West. Blunders were committed in the draft (Jonny Flynn over Steph Curry in 2009, Wes Johnson over DeMarcus Cousins in 2010), in trades and free agency (Michael Beasley, Darko Milicic, J.J. Barea) and with coaches (Randy Wittman, Kurt Rambis) and general managers (David Kahn).All of those failures, coupled with injuries to Ricky Rubio and Love, contributed to 323 losses in Loves six seasons with the Wolves.I think it couldve gone better with what we had if we had been a little bit luckier (with injuries), Taylor said. Theres a lot of things. Maybe if we drafted better and did some things, but we did what we did. It isnt Kevins fault. Maybe we shouldnt have made some decisions we made. I dont know what to say about that. I wish we wouldve done better.As much credit as Love deserves for transforming himself from a doughy UCLA freshman to a sculpted offensive force in the NBA, he carries some responsibility for the Wolves failures as well.The relationship soured in 2012, when Kahn refused to give Love a five-year maximum contract extension. Love signed a four-year deal with an opt-out after three seasons and didnt hide his disappointment.He carried the grudge for the next 2 1/2 seasons, turning from a funny, engaging public personality into a sullen figure on the court and in the locker room. He played in only 18 games because of a twice-broken hand in 2012-13, alienated teammates behind the scenes by withdrawing from the group and struggled mightily on the defensive end.Love requested a trade at the end of last season and a tour of Boston early in the summer didnt sit well with fans back in Minnesota.Minnesota people are pretty loyal. You turn on Minnesota, they dont forgive you, president and coach Flip Saunders said in December. So I think people probably appreciated him while he was here. But you leave under the terms that he did, just the way Minnesota people are, theyre not pretty forgiving along those lines.The Cavaliers sent No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to Minnesota in a three-team deal that also netted the Wolves Thaddeus Young to get Love. The Wolves again were plagued by injuries during an 8-37 start to the season, but Wiggins development has them hopeful they have found a dynamic, two-way player to team with Rubio.We needed a player that we get to the end of the game and we give him the ball and the other team says, Holy cow, hes going to be hard to stop because we dont know what hes going to do, Taylor said. We just havent had that guy. Kevin Love ... he couldnt do that by himself and the other team could guard it pretty well at the end of the game because they knew what he was going to do.Love has gone through expected adjustments in his first year on a team with championship aspirations. He has become the clear No. 3 option behind James and Kyrie Irving, and his numbers have taken a sizeable dip. He didnt make the All-Star team in the Eastern Conference and the Cavaliers have only recently started to mesh.Love is 6 for 26 in his last two games, but the Cavaliers had won eight straight heading into the game Friday night against Sacramento.Maybe shooting at the baskets he filled up for six seasons will get him going. But hes bracing for an unexpectedly foreign feeling in his old home.Im sure once I get there, it will be a little different feeling for me, Love said. Obviously playing on the visitors side, going into the visitors locker room, going to the different bench. But I havent really given it too much thought, and luckily were on a winning streak right now, so thats really whats first and foremost.But, yeah, once the game is over (Friday night) and we get there, it will be a little different, not staying at my apartment in Minneapolis, well be staying at a different hotel. Cameron Jordan Youth Jersey . Rasmussen didnt have a decision during his four appearances in May, when he gave up two hits and no runs in two innings. Toronto used five relievers while pulling off the second-biggest comeback in franchise history on Friday night, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to a 14-9 win. Michael Thomas Womens Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Pineda won his second straight start last Wednesday against Chicago, as he held the Cubs to just four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 2-0, while lowering his ERA to 1. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/Elite-Marcus-Williams-Saints-Jersey/ . The 23-year-old Neustaedter will move at the end of the season when his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. He signed a four-year deal with Schalke. Taysom Hill Womens Jersey . The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. Ted Ginn Jr Womens Jersey . Ferguson told Uniteds in-house TV channel on Saturday that he has no immediate plans to walk away from the game, and that he still hungers for more trophies even after 25 years in charge of the club.With the playoffs around the corner, catch a doubleheader of action from the hardcourt tonight on TSN2. First, the Miami Heat will continue their march toward the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference when they welcome the Brooklyn Nets to AmericanAirlines Arena. Then with a playoff spot already locked up, the Houston Rockets can focus on postseason positioning when they open a three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers. All the action gets underway on TSN2 at 8pm et/5pm pt. The Heat have won five of their last six and are one game clear of the Indiana Pacers for Eastern Conference supremacy. The two-time defending NBA champs have clinched a fourth straight Southeast Division title. After a heartbreaking one-point home loss in double-overtime to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, the Heat dispatched the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon. Miami prevailed, 102-91, and overcame an NBA record 10 made 3-pointers by New Yorks J.R. Smith. "You do your job and you live with the results," Miami forward LeBron James said. "We lived with the result of J.R. making some of those bombs." James led Miami with 38 points and six assists. Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh added 15 and 14 points, respectively for the Heat, while Ray Allen went 4- for-9 from long range for 12 points. Miami was without the services of Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Greg Oden (back) and Chris Andersen (back/knee). The Heat shot 55.7 percent from the floor and 44 percent from long range. They held the Knicks under 38 percent and will play three of their remaining five after Tuesday on the road. The Nets are also headed to the playoffs, but their seeding is still up in the air. They trail the Toronto Raptors by 2 1/2 games not only for the Atlantic Division lead, but also for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls are tied with the Raps for the No. 3 spot. Brooklyn has won two straight and five of its last six. The Nets started this three-game road trip with a four-point win in Philadelphia on Saturday night and will close out the sojourn in Orlando on Wednesday. The Nets snapped a three-game road losing streak with a 105-101 victory over the 76ers on Saturday. The Nets led by as many as 21 points in the second half but stumbled down the stretch, allowing Philly to pull within a point in the final minutes. Head coach Jason Kidd ran his bench players out late and that was the unit that nearly coughed up the huge lead. Mirza Teletovic, moments after air-balling a similar shot, drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing for a 99-95 margin with 48.9 seconds to play, and Brooklyn hit 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds to hang on for the win. "I felt it gave us the opportunity to execute on some late-game stuff," said Kidd. "Guys made free throws and we got stops when we had to." Deron Williams posted 19 points and nine assists to lead the Nets. Mason Plumlee scored 16 points off the bench for Brooklyn, winners in five of six. Joe Johnson and Paul Pierce deposited 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Nets have taken all three meetings with the Heat this season and those wins halted a 13-game series losing streak. They could sweep the season series against thhe Heat for the first time since the 2002-03 season.dddddddddddd The Nets are the only team the Heat havent beaten yet in the 2013-14 campaign. Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (TSN2, 10:30pm et/7:30pm pt) With a playoff spot already locked up, the Houston Rockets can focus on postseason positioning when they open a three-game road trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets will makes stops in Denver and Minnesota on this trip and have a 20-17 record on the road. They are currently fourth in the Western Conference, sitting two games ahead of Portland and three behind the L.A. Clippers. Houston posted its seventh win in 10 tries with Sundays 130-125 overtime triumph against the Nuggets. James Harden scored 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, while Chandler Parsons scored eight points in the extra session and finished with 15 for the Rockets, who clinched a playoff berth in Fridays win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden scored 10 points in the final 3:55 of the fourth as part of a 16-3 quarter-closing run to help force overtime. Harden tied the game with 7.1 seconds left in regulation for Houston, which scored 13 of the 21 in OT. "Well we battled," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. "We were not ready starting that game off. Our guys kept battling and James (Harden) made the huge 3 to get it to overtime, but other than that we were shaky." Harden is averaging 31.1 points in his last eight games. Dwight Howard (ankle) missed another game and is questionable Tuesday. Omer Asik has been filling in nicely for Howard and is posting an average of 12.0 points and 16.8 rebounds in his last five games -- all starts. He has three double-doubles in that stretch. A disappointing season for the Lakers couldnt end any sooner, but they still have five games left. Los Angeles is 25-52 on the season and has lost four in a row and 13 of the last 17 games. In Sundays 120-97 blowout loss to the rival Clippers, Jordan Hill had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the way. Nick Young scored 17 of his 18 points in the first half and was bothered by a balky knee. "We battled," said Lakers head coach Mike DAntoni. "We didnt have enough to win today. They focused more. They upped the ante and got us." Jodie Meeks had 17 points in defeat. L.A. was outrebounded by a 52-38 margin and committed 15 turnovers, leading to 24 Clippers points. Hill, meanwhile, is averaging 16.9 points and 9.8 rebounds in his last eight games -- all starts. The Lakers are opening a three-game homestand Tuesday versus Houston, Golden State and Memphis, and are 14-24 as the host. Lakers guard Kent Bazemore (foot) is done for the year and center Pau Gasol is expected to miss another game with vertigo. Gasol hasnt played since April 1 and has missed several games over the past few weeks. Guard Steve Nash (back) is probable versus the Rockets. Nash needs five assists to pass Mark Jackson for third on the NBAs all-time list. Only John Stockton (15,806), Jason Kidd (12,091) and Jackson (10,334) have dished out more assists than Nash (10,330). Houston is 2-1 against the Lakers this season, but has lost six of the previous eight as the guest in this series. ' ' '